Business model development of a Telecom company at VLEO (Very Low Earth Orbit)

Abstract

The space market is experiencing a tremendous transformation with private companies taking the lead and launching an increasing number of satellites. Up until recently, geostationary orbits were the most used for commercial exploitation, however, in recent years Low and Very Low Earth Orbits have been playing a very important role in the evolution of the space market. While the Earth Observation industry has continued developing, the last couple of years have seen the focus shifting towards telecommunications. As part of the Discoverer project, which is developing terrestrial observation satellites for Very Low Earth Orbits, this study aims to look beyond observation satellites to propose a market for satellites in the Internet of Tomorrow technologies. During the course of this project the American company Starlink has been gaining traction in their goal to create a constellation of satellites in Low and Very Low Earth Orbits to provide internet in all remote parts of the planet, A business plan has been made in which Discoverer could develop satellites for low and very low orbits with a focus on telecommunications use. As part of the study, business opportunities have been proposed and, above all, the greatest emerging competitor, Starlink, has been analyzed.